Purpose: The purpose of the thesis is to develop a framework for obtaining social acceptance in the establishment of greenfield projects within hard-to-abate industries by identifying key factors and activities related to the topic. Method: The research was based on an exploratory single-case study of a Swedish greenfield project. The study aimed to gain a nuanced understanding of factors and activities regarding various aspects of the topic. A qualitative approach was used to deepen knowledge and insights into the research gap. The empirical data was collected in three phases: through exploratory workshops, interviews with representatives from the local community, and interviews with representatives from the establishing company. Findings: We have identified several factors and activities that consist of componentfactors/activities that provide a more detailed description of each factor and activity. This identification of influential factors, coupled with the proposal of activities to attain social acceptance, provides project managers with a tangible framework to obtain social acceptance. Factors affecting social acceptance in greenfield projects are (1) Community relationship, (2) Project information, (3) Operational concerns related to the project, (4) Ripple effect concerns, (5) Regional growth, and (6) Sustainability. The key activities we have found to stimulate the factors successfully are (1) Collaborating with external parties, (2) Establishing a communication strategy, (3) Community segmentation, (4) Going above and beyond legal obligations, (5) Community engagement, (6) Create trust by genuineness, and (7) Allocate financial resources to community investments. Theoretical contribution: This study contributes to the literature by verifying that many of the factors identified by previous scholars also apply to greenfield projects within hard-to-abate industries. Even if empirical evidence does not explicitly state the same factors and activities, we have verified that they are closely related. Further on, our developed framework fills an identifiedresearch gap by offering a more comprehensive understanding of the connections between factors and activities influencing social acceptance. Managerial contribution The developed framework in this thesis is designed to guide managers through three critical phases in their work to obtain social acceptance. These phases are pre-launch, launch, and integration. The framework enables managers to identify needed capabilities and systematically address key factors influencing social acceptance. By utilizing this framework, managers can create value by mitigating risks such as operational setbacks, economic losses, reputational damage, opposition, social conflicts, and sabotage.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:ltu-107355 |
| Date | January 2024 |
| Creators | Larsson, Emil, Norberg, Fredrika |
| Publisher | Luleå tekniska universitet, Institutionen för ekonomi, teknik, konst och samhälle |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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